Coking retort oven



J. BECKER coKING RETORT OVEN FiledAug. 5, 1921 Ju'ne 28, 1932.

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June 28, 1932. J. BECKER coKING REToRT ovEN 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 5, 1921 June 28, 1932. J, BECKER Y COKING RETORT OVEN Filed Aug. 5, 1921 5 sheets-shed 5 Patented June 28, 1932 UNTED .PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH BECKER, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE KOPPERS COM PANY,A OIF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION "0F PENNSYLVANIA l com-NG RETORT `OVEN Application Yfiled August 5, 1921. Serial No. 490,083.

This invention coniprehends improvements of general utility in the colring retort oven art, and also comprehends `certain irnprovements 'especially applicable to lcolring U retort ovens of the Well :known crosssregenerative type exempliiied in the patents to H. Koppel-s, No. 818,033 and No. 1,026,169.

The invention has for 4objects the provision ot coliing retort oven having, as important L cli-ami eration which permits lemployment ot the combination oven principle, exeinplilied in the Koppers Patent No. i,026,169, above re'- tci 'ed to, Without any necessity for varying the elf/:e ol" the duet connections between the rcgeerators and the ilaine v'lines in converting such a colring retort loven from roperation as a gas oven, i. e., with the employment oi `an extraneouslyderived gas, such as producer for fuel, to operation `as a colte oven employing colte oven gas as the fuel. Coke ouen gas land producer gas Vare Widely differentin ltheir characteristics. Coke oven :gas is ai dy rich gas requiring for proper u nbustion a relatively large volume of :air supplied fait a :relatively high velocity, in order to avoid tiaine concentration in the lower 'ons ot the tlame tlues. On `the other nd, producer gas being much poorer-in l rely smaller air volume supplied a relatively reduced velocity. Tn combination ovens, the regenerators which iare enr plojfed toi-:supplying preheated producer gas lo the ii-une tlues di. ing producer ygas operation are, when the oven is yconverted to coke o ten gas operation, employed for delivering 'air tolti dues as Well as 'the other vregenerators which supply air, Whether the battery be operating with producer gas or `With 'colte oven gas. That is to sai, :during coke oven operation all of the regenerators supply to the 'lines during the inloW period, during the producer lgas operation, nie regenerators s i `pply air Aand othipply producer gas. The Aregenerative area ot the battery employed for air is thus approxi-mately doubled, With respect to the iiidow, Whenever a combination oven Ibattery isfcenvertec'l troni producer gas operation to cteristics: a system 'of regenerative op! ity, requires for proper combustion 'a' colte `oven gas operati-on. Tnasniuch as the duct connections between the regenerators and the flues inust be made large enough to handle Ythe relatively large volume of producer gas, which yflows into the flame lues at a relatively reduced velocity, it follows that when these regenerat-ors Iare employed for .delivering air, during coke oven gas opera-tion, the duct connections will deliver the air inthe requisite volume but with a reduced velocity that would tend lto promote `flame concentration in the lower region of the lflame flues. Consequently, it has been customary, .in converting lthe combination oven from producer gas to coke oven'gas operation, to restrict the duct connections between the regenerators and the iiues by partially plugging them in order to promote the requisite velocity in liow ,oi `the air. This plugging operation, hoW- ever, in the coke oven battery of commercial magnitudeis a tedious and lengthy one, `and it is the purpose oit' this inventionvto supply to the lines of a combina-tion even, during coke oven ygas operation, air in the requisite volume and velocity, by the novel expedient of restricting the regenerative area. that-open ates at any one time for in-iiow of air and causing theentire vol-unie of air required .for combustion in the flame dues to pass through .this restricted regenerative yarea and thus to increase the velocity ot the air `flow to adegrec lwhich avoids tlanieiconcentration. This is accomplishedb-y ea-using the air to travel through only a part Avof the regenerative area operating for liirfiow, -a-t 'any one time, While the remainder ofthe in-flovv operating regenerative area remains yfor the time bein-g substantially inoperative as regards the flow of gaseous media tothe Vfines and then eifecting a reversal, during the same in-iiow period, which renders inoperative Athat part of theregenerative area Which previously Vsupplied the air and utilizes theprevious'ly inoperative part of the regenerative `area forjthe air supply :to the ilues.

ln addition ito the general objects recited above, the invention has for further objects such other improvements or advantages in construction yand .operationas ,are-found to obtain in the structures and devices hereinafter described or claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification and showing, for purposes of exemplification, a preferred form and manner in which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but without limiting the claimed invention to such illustrative instance or instances:

Figure 1 is a composite crosswise vertical section through a coke oven battery embody ing the combination oven principle of the aforesaid prior patent to H. Koppers, No. 1,026,169 and equipped with the improvements of the present invention, the view being taken longitudinally through a coling chamber and a pair of regeneratmsj` Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation taken longitudinally of the coke oven battery Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional elevation taken transversely of the coke oven battery through a portion of one of the heating walls and illustrating the gas flow through the flu-es of the heating walls;

Figs. l and 5 are diagrammatic views of 'th regenerators and connected parts ill y; ing the mode of operation of the improved reversal system of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through the regenerators of the coke oven batt-ery showH ing in plan the various connections and devices for reversing the flow through. the generators and through the fines;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken longitudinally of the battery through the air boxes and waste gas tunnel or stack flue and Yshowing the reversing connections on one side of the battery; and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing the reversing connections on the other side of the battery.

The same characters of reference designate the same parts in each of the several vie as of the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the invention is incorporated in a combination coke oven battery, i. e.,-a battery having provision for being operated eitlv" with producer gas as the fuel, or with coke oven gas derived from the distilla of the coal in the colring chambers or retort.y of the battery. For convenience, the p description will be confined to the pres illustrative embodiment of the inventsuch a combination colte oven battery; novel features and improvements made l" the invention are susceptible of other appli tions, such for example, as other heatin g furnaces embodying the regenerative prin ciple; hence, the scope of the invent-ion is not confined to the specific use and speciic embodiment herein described as an illustri. tive example.

Referring to the drawings, there are illustrated Views of a coke oven battery or plant "tive heating walls 11, 11. rFliese pillar walls collectively form the main support for the entire superstructure of the oven battery, and are themselves supported upon a 'llat mat or platform which constitutes the sub-foundation on which the entire battery rests. The coal to be coked is charged into the several colring chambers or ovens through chargrng holes 14 located in the top 15 of the oven battery and positioned directly above the ovens or chambers 12, as shown in Fig. 1 "Chef-H charging holes 14 are equipped with the usual removable covers, which are remo-ved during charging of the individual ovens or col'ino' chambers and are placed in position to clos'- the tops of such oven-s during the entire colt ing or distilling operation. The gases of distillation pass from the tops of the several faling chambers 12 through gas outlets 1G and thence through. ascension pipes (not fully shown) into the usual gas collecting main which carries the distillation products to the by-product apparatus.

Heat for coking the charges of coal in the several ovens or chambers 12 is derived from the heating walls 11 which, as above mentioned, extend crosswise of the battery at the sides of the coking chambers. Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, each heating wall 11 is constituted of a plurality of llame or combustion flues 1'?. The flame lues of each heating wall are, in accordance with the present adaptation of the invention, operatively disposed into two groups. llilhen the flame flues of one group on one side of the battery are burning, that is to say, operating for rlp-flow, the llame A[lues on the opposite side of the down-flow to prevent wast-e of the gases. All the flame fines on one side of the batter operate concu 1rently for flow in the same r irection, while all the flame flues of the other group on the other side of the battery are operating concurrently for liow in the opposite direction.

The crosswise regenerators 18 of the retort oven are located at a lower level than the aforesaid coking chambers and, in the present instance, extend in parallelism between the pillar walls 1,3 and partition walls 131. Located in the middle lengthwise vertical plane of the battery is a vertical partition 19, as shown in Fig. l, which partibattery are operating for all CTL".

tion extends all the Way up from the mat of the battery to the bottom of the overlying colring chamber and fromV one to the other of the pillar Walls 13. The regenerators, which are respectively located on the opposite sides of the battery, extend inwardly to said partition 19 and are separated thereby, as clearly shown in F ig. 1, the partition 19 serving to separate the in-=floW operating regenerators y on one side of the battery from the out-flow operating regenerators on the other. Each regenerator 18 is a chamber containing open brick Work, `commonly called checlrerxvork, and indicated at 20, With distributing sole channels 21 underneath such checker-Work, the channels forming the soles of such chamhers and opening up into the ychecilerworl.

The regeneratorsrare heated, in alternation, by the hot combustion `products that draw oft from the iiame or combustion flues hereinbefore mentioned and then impart such heat into the media that they feed into these dues. As shown, the several regenerators of the battery are .operatiyely disposed into two series K and L respectively located on opposite sides of the battery. Each such series of regenerators is furthermore operatively disposed Linto -t-Wo groups M and N, the regener- `atorsfof lthe group M alternating with the regenerators of the group N. Each regenerator, Whether of V,the group 'M or N, is p y'o- `vided with a series of ducts 23, leading respectively to individual `flame flues 17 yof the two heating Walls adjacent to such regenerator, it being understood Atha-t each duct :is provided, as usually, with the usual 'controlling means, such as `the `customary sliding bricks 231, for 4restricting the oucts 23 'for `regulation vof gas iowv therethrough. Inasmuch as the regenerators of the group M alternate `With those of the group N, each flame "flue 17 of each heating Wall communicates by a pair of ducts 23 with adjacent regenerators,ione of the group M and the other of the group N.

All of the fflues'on one side of the central partition V19, as Well as their communicably connected regenerators, are operating for inflow, -While concurrently all-of the flues on fthe other side of the battery and their com- `municablfy connected regenerators are operatingconcurrently for'outilow, rlhe reversal in flowfthrough the flame tlues and their communicably connected regenerators may thus 4be said to take placetransversely of .the battery, in accordance with a common practice in this art.

Eachflame flue 17 has atits top'aport or Yopening 24 for -draft andthe passage of com- Y ybustion products from1the flame in theflue.

These ports 2-tfopen up into "horizontal or @bus `flues 25 :formed in the heating .Walls and connecting theil-ame -lues Vof the inffloiv operating groups `vvith the i flame dues `of the down-flow operating groups. The .draft through the ports'24 may be regulated by means of the usual dalnpers or sliding briclrs 27, positioned in the ordinary Way in the bottoms of the horizontal llues 25 and adapted to be reached by access ilues 28 which extend from the top of ythe horizontal dues in each heating Wall to the top 15 of the battery, there being an access fine positioned over each flame flue of each heating Wall.

Extending crosswise of the battery in each pillar 13 and located below the heating Wall 11 thereabove is a pair of gas supply channels 29 and 30. These channels 29 and 30 are for 4the purpose of supplying colte oven gas to the kseveral flame flues on each side of the central line T, and to accomplish this end, the channel 30 communicates with the indi vidual flues 1717011 one side of said line T by means of ducts 31 that lead from said channel 30 inwardly into the bottoms of individual fines; and the channel 29 Which supplies 4the several flues that are loca-ted on the other side of the beforcanentioned line T communicates therewith by means of similarly connected ducts. lVithin the several ducts are disposed the usual nozzles 32. The supply of coke oven gas to the respective channels 29 and 3.0 is derived from coke oven gas mains ofthe usual type and respectively located on opposite sides of the battery and extending longitudinally therealong. Suitable means is provided for admitting or cutting off the supply .of gas With respect to the channels 29 or 30, it being understood that the gas supply is concurrently maintained in all of the channels of one series 29 or 30. For-operating the battery alterna-tively with ,the use of a special generator gas, such as producergas, the regenerators of the groupsM, when operating 'for in-liow, may be optionally vconnected with a producer gas main, bymechanism such as is disclosed vin my application for patent for a coking retort oven,filed April 23, 1920, Serial No. 376,126, now Patent No. 1,416,322, so that the producer gas may be directed into such ofthe regenerators 18 as are operating for in-lowv and conveyed through these regenerators into burning flame dues 17.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 6,7, and 8, the sole channels 2l ofthe groups `of regenerators M of 4both series K and L respectively communicate with How-boxes 33; Ysimilarly the sole channels ofthe regenerators-ofthe several groups N on both sides of the battery respectively communicating with flow-boxes 3d. 'This results in the arrangement oftvvo series of flow-boxes 33 and 34 along both sides of the battery, the'flonhboxes of each series being disposed into pa o, f which pairs alternate with the pairs of lowv boxesl of the other series.

The several flow-boxes ofthe series 3 3 are provided with -lids for opening and closing the interior of such Aflow-boxes .to the outer air, and the several flow-boxes ,of the series 34 are respectively provided with similar lids- 36. Each air box lid 35 is provided With a lid-operating lever 37, and each air box lid 36 is provided With a similar lid-operating lever 38. Tvvo Waste gas tunnels or stack lues 51 and 52 extend longitudinally of the battery, one on one side of the battery and the other on the other side, said sta-ck lues lead ing to the usual stack and adapted to be alternately placed in communication With or shut ott" 'from the stack by means oi the usual main stack damper. That is to say When the stack `flue 51 is in communication with the stack, the stack iiue 52 is cut oil1 from such communication, or vice versa. Each 'flowbox 33 or 34s on one side of the battery is adapted to be communicably connected with the stack flue 5l through a channel 57; simi larly each flow-box 33 or 3a on the opposite side of the battery is adapted to be communicably connected through a channel 59 to the Waste gas tunnel 52. As out-flow is maintained only in the regenerators on one side of th-e battery, the Waste gas tunnels 51 and 52 operate alternatively to convey Waste gas from the battery to the stach,

The several {iov-boxes ot the groups 33 on both sides ot the battery are each provided With mushroom valves 60 for opening and closing their respective boxes relatively to the Waste tunnels 5l and 52, the mushroo-m valves 60 being open when the regenerators, communicating with such {low-boxes on one side of the battery, are operating for outlow, and the mushroom valves being closed when such regenerators are operating 'for inflow. rlhe purpose of these mushroom valves is to shut o the flow-boxes to the groups M of regenerators directly :from the stack lues, when such regenerators are operating for inflow, in order to prevent leakage of producer gas into the stach flues, during producer gas operation. yThe mushroom valves 60 are operated by valve-operating levers 32. All oi" the valve-operating levers of the series 62 are controlled and operated by a single cable 3 which leads to the damper reversing machine G5. @n one operation of said machine 65, all the mushroom valves of the flowboxes 33 on one side of the battery are opened to establish communication between such flow-boxes and a Waste gas tunnel, While concurrently the mushroom valves of the flowboxes on the other side ot the battery are closed to cut olf such flow-boxes from communication with the other Waste gas tunnel; on reverse operation of the machine 65, the previously opened mushroom valves are closed and the previously closed mushroom valves are opened.

According to the invention, the lid-operating levers 37 of the groups 33 and the lid-operating levers 38 of the groups 34 on one side of the battery are controlled and operated by the reversing cable 2 leading to theair valve reversing machine 66. Similarly the lid-operating levers 37 and 38 of both groups of flow-boxes on the other side of the battery are controlled and operated by the reversing cable l leading to the air valve reversing machine 67. As shown, a single operation of each reversing cable l or 2 is e'lective to open only the air box lids of one group et regenerators M or N corresponding to such reversing cable. Consequently the operation of placing the several regenerators ot the groups M and N on one side ot the battery in communication With a Waste gas tunnel 5l or 52 by opening up the stack valve of that tunnel, and the mushroom valves 60, corresponding to the flow-boxes 33 of such regenerators, will be accompanied by an operation of the reversing cable on the other side ot the battery that is etliective at this time to open the air box lids 35 of only the regenerators ot the groups M that have been switched to the in-loW operation.

A reverse operation of the cable 2 is necessary to open the air box lids of the groups N, but such reverse operation is accompanied by a closing ot the previously opened air box lids ot the groups M.

W ith the above described construction, it is thus possible, during coke oven gas operation, to require all ot the air to flow through alternate regenerators ol the in-lovz operating regenerators on one side ot' the battery, While all of the out-'flow regenerators on the other side of the battery are in communication With the exhaust. 'lf he principle of operation ot the invention is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, which show diagrammatically the reversal system during a complete cycle of operation comprising tivo complete half-hour reversal periods. A t the beginning of a reversal period, all of the regenerators M and N on one side o' the battery are placed in communication with the exhaust and operate concurrently as Waste gas regenerators W', tor the irst lifteen minutes 01": the complete halt-hour reversal period, reerring to the left hand side of Fig. 4, the alternate regenerators comprising the group M are placed in communication with the air for supplying air to the .in-flow operating lines and thus operate as air regenerators A, While the other regenerators comprising the group N remain inoperative with respect to low into the flues, such regenerators being designated by the reference character D. At the end of the fifteen minute interval, the reversing machine 6G is operated to reverse the cable 2 so that the regenerators D, comprising the group N of the in-tlow operating regenerators are placed in communication i 'ith the air and become air regenerators A, Whereas the regenerators A comprising the groups M are cut off from the air and become inactive with respect to the flow through the flues. At the end of the complete thirty minute operating period, all of the regenerators of the groups M and N thatpreviously operated alternatively for insflow are placed in communication with the exhaust, becoming waste gas regenerators WV, and the regenerators of the group M on the opposite side of the battery, are by one operation of the reversing machine 67 'placed in communication with the outer air, while the regenerators of the group N remain inoperative. When this reversal period is substantially half completed, the reversing machine 67 is reversely operated to permit air to flow into the reffenerators of the group N so that they become air regenerators A, and to cut off the air from the regenerators of the group M so that they become nonfunctioning regenerators D.

The invention, as hereinabove set forth, is embodied in a particular form of construction, but may be variously embodied within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

I claim:

l. In a coking retort battery, in combination: a series of alternate coking chambers and heating walls therefor arranged side-by side in a row, each of said heating walls comprising vertical combustion fines; rich gas supply means for supplying unpreheated fuel gas to said flues for combustion therein; crosswise regenerators disposed in two series; one series on each side of the battery, the regenerators of each series being communicably connected in pairs with the flues of said heating walls by regenerator ducts leading into the individual flues at their lower parts; andthe regenerators of each pair when operable for inflow being jointly operable for conveying air to said flues during operation for combustion of said rich gas in said fines or alternatively separately operable to convey air and unpreheated leaner fuel gas separately and simultaneously to said flues for optional heating of the oven by combustion of preheated leaner fuel gas in said flues; gas control means for restricting the aforesaid regenerator chiots; waste gas exhaust means for exhausting waste gas from said regenerators; air supply means for supplying air to said regenerators; and mechanism, adapted to operate during optionalheating of the batt-ery by combustion of unpreheated richer fuel gas in said flues, for establishing communication between one of said series of said regenerators and said waste gas exhaust means, while concurrently opening the air supply means for one regenerator of each pair of regenerators in the other series of regenerators and thereaft-er closing said air supply means for said regenerators and opening the air supply means for the other regenerator of each pair thereof in said other series of regenerators.

2. In a coking retort battery, in combination: a series of alternate coling chambers and heating walls therefor arranged sidelay-side in 'a row, each of said heating walls 'comprising combustion flues; rich gas supply means for supplying unpreheated rich fuel gas to said flues for combustion therein; regenerators operatively disposed in two sets operable in alternation with each other for inflow of combustion meda and outflow of waste gas, the regeneratOrs of each set being communicably connected in groups, with the flues of said heating walls by regenerator ducts and the regenerat-ors of each group when operable for inflow being jointly operable for conveying air to said fines during operation for combustion of said rich gas in said flues or alternatively separately operable to convey air and preheated leaner fuel gas separately and simultaneously to said flues for optional heating of the battery by combustion of unpreheated leaner fuel gas in said flues; gas control means for restricting the aforesaid regenerator ducts; air supply means for supplying air to said regenerators; waste gas exhaust means for exhausting waste gas from said regenerators; and mechanism, adapted to operate during optional heating of the battery by combustion of unpreheated richer fuel gas in said flues, for establishing communication between one of said sets of regenerators and said waste gas exhaust means, while concurrently opening the air supply means for part of the regenerators of each group of regenerators in the other set of regenerators and thereafter closing said air supply means for said regenerators and opening the air supply means for another part of the regenerators of each group thereof in said other set of regenerators.

3. In a coling retort battery, in combination: a, series of alternate coking chambers and heating walls therefor arranged side-byside in a row, each of said heating walls comprising combustion flues; rich gas supply means for supplying unpreheated rich fuel gas to said flues for combustion therein; regenerators operatively disposed in two sets operable in alternation with each other for inflow of combustion media and outflow of waste gas; the regenerators of each set being communicably connected in groups with the flues of said heating walls by regenerator ducts and the regenerators of each group when operable for inflow being jointly operable for conveying air to said ilues during operation for combustion of said rich gas in said flues or alternately separately operable to convey air and preheated leaner gas separately and simultaneously to said flues for optional heating of the battery by combustion of unpreheated leaner fuel gas in said flues; gas control means for restricting the aforesaid regenerator ducts; air supply means for supplyingair to said regenerators; waste gas exhaust means for exhausting waste gas from Said regenerators and mechanism, adapted to Operate during optional heating of the battery by combustion of unpreheatecl fuel gas n said flues, for establishing communication between one of said sets of regenerators and said Waste gas eX- haust means, While concurrently opening the air supply means for part of the regenerators of each group of regenerators n the other set of l'egenerators and thereafter opening the air supply means for another part of the regenerators of each group of regenerators n the said other set of regenerators.

In testimony whereof` I have hereunto set Iny hand this 30th day of July, 1921.

JOSEPH BECKER. 

